Quick-acting safety razor



Jan. 18, 1955 A. P. PAYAMPS QUICK-ACTING SAFETY RAZOR Filed Dec. 10, 1953 0 l feudo J w 3J. 2 etw 1 #5% IN VEN TOR.

United States Patenti() QUICK-ACTING SAFETY `RAZOR Augustin P. Payamps, Philadelphia,.Pa.

Application December 10, 195,3, Serial No. 397,314

4 Claims. (Cl. 30-.60.5)

My invention relates to anew andusefulqiiickacting safety razor and has for one of its objects topprovide means operable by one hand Vof the user tocause the gates or wings to snap open to release a blade and to close said gates or wings `to iiex and clamp a blade in position for shaving.

Another object of `the l invention l is `to improve the Gillette type of safety razor whereby the blade clamping gates may be quickly and readily opened and closed by the release of a spring actuated plunger or the retrac tion of said plunger by the use of a users thumb while the razor is held in one hand.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for firmly holding or temporarily locking the gates of a safety razor in the closed positions.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a safety razor of the type mentioned having a plunger slidably and rotatably mounted in a hollow handle and spring pressed forwardly or upwardly and connected with the post of the gate operating mechanism whereby lngi tudinal movements of said plunger will be transmitted to said gate operating mechanism to operi and close the gates, said plunger being provided with a knob located in an angular slot in the handle whereby the plunger may be held in a retracted position and permitted to slide forwardly under the impulse of the spring and said plunger being connected to the gate opening mechanism by means of a pin and inclined slot whereby rotation of said plunger in the retracted location will produce a final extra pull on the gate operating mechanism to tightly close the gates and assist in holding them closed.

A still further object of this invention is to provide for draining any accumulation of water or other liquid that might enter the hollow handle and pass to the rear of or below the plunger.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same l will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a safety razor in the closed position and constructed in accordance with my invention, a portion of one of the hinge plates being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View thereoi:` with parts left in elevation to illustrate details of construction.

Fig. 3 is a similar View with the gates in the open position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the handle at substantially right angles to Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the razor in the region of the connection between the plunger and post of the gate operating mechanism.

ln carrying out my invention as herein embodied represents the head plate having turned down flanges 11 which function as guards for the cutting edges of a razor blade 12. The ends of these anges also act as cams to cause the gates or wings, to be presently described, to close as the gate opening mechanism is actuated in the proper direction.

A tubular neck 13 is secured to the under side of the head plate and has a bottom or inner end wall 14 with a hole 15 therethrough. The neck has an annular exterior shoulder 16 adjacent-the inner. or lower end thereof` and Vthe' portion of said neck below or inwardly of said shoulder constitutes a shank 17 to receive the upper end of the tubular hollow handle 18 with the open end of said handle` telescoped over the shank portion ofthe neck.

-Said `tubular handle is iixed on the neck and has a lower `and the head plate 1t) andthe lower end of said post extending through the hole 15 in the inner or'bottomvwall of said neck. On the lupper end of said post 21 is a bridge 22 extending lengthwise of the razor and fashioned to provide oppositely projecting toes 23, Fig. 1, at the opposite ends thereof.

Crosswise hinge. plates 24 are iixed to the ends of the bridge 22 through `the medium of `the toes 23 whereby the post21,` bridge 22 and hingeplates 24 reciprocate as a unitary structure. This is a conventional structural feature ,of a Gillette type of safety razor. e A pair of gates or wings 25 are each provided with hinge lugs 26, one at each end thereof, `for pivoting said gates to the opposite ends of each hinge plate at 27. The gates and the means of pivoting them also is conventional structure.

As the post 21, bridge 22 and hinge plates 24 are moved outwardly and inwardly the gates will be alternately opened and closed as is well known.

ln the upper portion of the hollow handle 18 is slidably and rotatably mounted a close fitting plunger 28 normally urged upwardly by a coil spring 29 positioned in the lower part of the handle 1S between said plunger and the lower end wall 19 of said handle. The upper end of the plunger 2S is swiveled or rotatably connected to the lower end of the post 21 by means of a pin 30 fixed in the post 2l and projecting from one face of said post into a slot 31 in the upper portion of the plunger which has a short bore 32 to receive the lower end or' the post. Preferably the slot 31 is inclined in a manner that when the plunger is turned to the left an edge of said slot will draw the post 21 inwardly for producing a linal tight closing action on the gates.

A finger-piece 33 projects from a side of the plunger 2S and rides in an angular slot 34 in a side of the handle said slot including a longitudinal leg portion 35 and a laterally projecting foot portion 36 at the lower end of the leg portion. The finger-piece may be provided with an enlarged knob on the outer end if desired.

When the gates 25 are closed the linger-piece is in the foot portion 36 of the angular slot 34, the plunger 28 and associated parts are retracted and the spring 29 compressed. To open the gates for placement of a razor blade on the razor the user may grasp the handle 18 in one hand and the linger-piece 33 snapped out of the foot portion of the slot 34 into alignment with the leg portion of said slot by a mere ip of the thumb of the same hand in which the handle is held. This will release the plunger 28 so as to be propelled upwardly by the spring 29 whereby the post 21 will be moved in the same direcn tion to produce an opening swinging movement of the gates.

With the gates open a blade can be assembled on the razor head in the usual manner. To close the gates the finger-piece 33 is moved downwardly in the leg portion of the slot 34 which will retract the plunger and the post 21 to swing the gates inwardly, as is usual, towards their closed positions and compress the spring 29.

In this condition the iinger-piece can be moved into the foot portion of the angular slot 34 through rotation of the plunger 2S turning about the axis of the post 21 and the plunger will be held retracted and the gates retained in their closed positions. This also can be accomplished by operating the linger-piece with the thumb of the hand holding the razor by its handle.

If the slot 31 is inclined, say five degrees, similar to a screw thread, then as the plunger 28 is rotated during the entering of the finger-piece in the foot portion of the slot 34 the pin 30 will, in eliect, travel down said inclined slot 31 and draw the post 21 inward to finally .tightly close the gates and assist in holding said gates 1n that position. Due to such action the razor blade will be firmly clamped in its fixed condition.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a safety razor that can be held and the gates quickly opened and easily closed by the use of only one hand of the user.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1. In a safety razor having a head plate on the upper endof a hollow neck, a post slidably mounted in said neck and extending below the lower end thereof, a bridge on the upper end of said post, a hinge plate fixed to each end of said bridge, and gates pivoted between the oppolsite ends of said hinge plates for swinging movements away from and towards each other for opening and closing said gates as the post is projected and retracted, in combination with a hollow handle having its upper end secured to the lower` end'of the neck and into which the lower end 0f the post projects, said handle having lower end wall, a plunger rotatable and slidable in the upper portion of the handle and rotatably connected to the lower end of the post, a spring between the plunger and i the lower end wall of the handle to urge the plunger upwardly, a side of the handle provided with an angular slot consisting of a longitudinal leg portion and a lateral foot portion extending frofn the bottom of said leg portion, and a finger-piece projecting from a side of the plunger into and through the angular slot and holding the plunger retracted and the spring compressed while said inger-piece is in the foot portion of said angular slot, said spring quickly projecting the plunger upwardly and thereby opening the gates when said finger-piece is moved from the foot portion to the leg portion of said angular slot.

2. The structure according to claim l wherein the bottom end wall of the handle has a drainage aperture therein.

3. The structure according to claim l wherein the connection between the post and plunger comprises a pin projecting from one side of said post which extends into a short bore in the plunger and said pin projecting into an arcuate slot in aside of said plunger.

4. The structure according to claim 3 wherein the arcuate slot is inclined as a part of a spiral.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Dec. l0, 1931 

